The present invention relates to latch assemblies and more particularly to an adjustable retention latch assembly used to provide temporary retention and alignment of a heavy object, such as an aircraft door, that is to be secured with fasteners.
Many aircraft doors have relatively severe curvatures and are hinged at one end so that the door may be opened and closed with a swinging motion away from or toward the end that is not hinged. The door is secured using threaded panel fasteners inserted through holes in the door panel which threadably engage nuts mounted on the frame to which the door is attached. It is highly desirable to align the holes in the door with their respective nuts before attempting to secure the panel fasteners to avoid damaging the threads of the fasteners. Likewise, maintaining alignment of the door panel is preferred when unfastening it to minimize damaging or even breaking the panel fasteners. The possibility of damage is enhanced if the door panels are heavy. Typically, workman attempts to align the holes in the door panel with their respective nuts by holding the door in position with one hand while securing the panel fasteners with the other. When such a door is quite heavy or if there is a seal between the door and the frame, as is often the case, alignment is extremely difficult and quite often impossible. The difficulty encountered is even greater if the door is positioned in such a manner as to be swung open toward the ground. In order to secure or remove the fasteners, the door must be held in an upward position against the force of gravity. This is often the case with aircraft doors placed on the underside of aircraft.
The adjustable retention latch assembly of the present invention solves the foregoing problems by providing a means for aligning the holes in the door panel with their respective receptacles or nuts, and retaining the door in such aligned position, thereby freeing the hands of a workman to install or remove the threaded panel fasteners without damaging the fasteners or harming himself due to the weight of the swinging door.